Shannon here: Ada Brownell shares insight into her upcoming Historical Romance, Love’s Delicate Blossom. Comment or answer the question at the end of the post to enter the drawing for an e-book or paperback copy to a winner after publication. Ada is also looking for three pdf pre-release Beta readers. Deadline: Oct 6th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Ada:
Love’s Delicate Blossom by Ada Brownell:
Which man will be the one Ritah O’Casey decides she loves enough to marry?
Joe Nichols fell in love almost at first sight with the redhead while he ran a harvester through her papa’s corn fields and she served supper to the crew. But then the young man from Kansas met the pretty girl from Iowa again.
She is the new school teacher, and he sees her walking toward the school carrying her suitcase, not knowing he’s met her before. He mended a fence with a friend near the road and they threw a coin to see which of them would carry the burden for the young woman. Joe won.
His jealous friend, however, wasn’t much competition in comparison to Edmund Pritchett III, who plans to marry her as soon as she gets teaching out of her system. Edmund comes from a wealthy family that owns the General Store. He and Ritah grew up together, and he decides he can’t live without her.
Ritah has the idea she was called by God to teach. The country is at war and children are becoming orphans as more and more fathers are wounded or killed in battle. More Mamas need to know how to make enough money to feed and care for their little ones.
The young woman Edmund wants to marry feels driven to teach women how to survive if they become widows. She’ll teach business skills, farming skills, money management, and most of all how to treat illness and disease with
Book 1
home remedies when a doctor isn’t available or can’t be paid.
One of the few women able to attend college in the early 1900s, Ritah nears her goals when she is chosen to earn extra college credit by working in an Army clinic. There she is exposed to the 1918 influenza.
She is barely recovered when she accepts a school teaching job in a small Kansas town. That’s where Joe is mending a fence and carries her suitcase, walks her to the school and finds himself in trouble with the schoolboard, as well as Edmund. But Edmund is miles away in Woodburn, Iowa, a long ways from Penokee, Kansas, yet he keeps catching the train and coming to see “his girl.”
Joe’s Mama invites the teacher to supper and Joe takes her for a walk. They talk and talk and then he kisses her.
Yet the dynamite that explodes threatens Joe’s eyesight, not their hearts. He doesn’t want her to marry a blind man and gives up on winning her heart.
Book 2
The U.S. economy goes into a depression, and Edmund also has problems when illness threatens his father’s life. Edmund can’t pay for the lumber he’s used to build a house, and those who bought on credit at the mercantile have no money to pay their bills.
Will Edmund convince Ritah to accept the engagement ring in his pocket or should he sell it?
Will Joe spend the rest of his life as a blind bachelor?
To find out, read Love’s Delicate Blossom, coming soon on Amazon from Elk Lake Publishing, the third book in the Peaches and Dreams series by Ada Brownell.
About Ada: Ada Brownell has been writing for Christian publications since age 15 and spent much of her life as a daily newspaper reporter. She has a B.S. degree in Mass Communications and worked most of her career at The Pueblo Chieftain in Colo., where she spent the last seven years as a medical writer. After moving to Springfield, MO in her retirement, she continues to free lance for Christian publications and write non-fiction and fiction books. Learn more and connect:
Ada’s Facebook Ada’s Twitter Ada’s Blog Ada’s Amazon Author Page
About the book – Love’s Delicate Blossom: Ritah Irene O’Casey has three goals: Graduate from college, teach school, and persuade other women to use their brains, talents and ministries. But in 1917 few women attended college and in many districts teachers weren’t allowed to marry.
Some women in their Iowa town are throwing their lives away working as prostitutes in the new brothel because they don’t even have basic skills for survival as old maids or widows.
Ritah knows the war will make widows of many more women. Too many already sent their children to orphanages when illness, death, or alcohol invades their homes.
Ritah believes a woman is as intelligent as a man, and a woman shouldn’t view herself as a slave or a plaything for men. In her mind, women should be respected. First they need to live for God. Then even though they might not have much schooling, they should study like their lives depend on it, because they often do.
The week before Ritah leaves for college, she rescues Tulip, whose parents died of cholera and a man tried to enslave the young lady, only age 14, in prostitution. Ritah finds a feisty widow lady for the gal to live with, but there’s still a mess of trouble.
Question for Readers: Who was your favorite teacher in school and why?
Come back Oct 2nd for Jodie Bailey!
My favorite teacher was Mrs. Charlotte Pearson because she seemed to really care about her students even after they left her class with encouraging words and pats on the back/hugs
I had two favorites, both High school English teachers. Mrs. Sharp introduced me to classical writers and also created a community festival that stimulated learning .Mrs. Miller sparked our creativity with no condemnation or limits.
I had a lot of great teachers, but the one who stands out in my mind is Mrs. Inuzzi, my third grade teacher. I severely broke my arm and injured my neck right after school started and was in a cast most of the school year, so I couldn’t go outside to play with the other kids. Mrs. Inuzzi was kind and caring through it all.
Mr. Baja…the only teacher to explain the math so good I had an A the entire year in high school. I was always a c/d student in math
My favorite Highschool teacher was Mrs. Blackwell, honors English. She was recently out of college and taught us in new ways. The first 15 minutes of class every day was freeform writing. I’m now 71 years old and still have many of those early pieces that helped me create the writing habit.
The one I remember the most was Mrs. Poppel in high school.
She taught English and a lot of the kids in my class didn’t like her but I did.
To this day, I can do, “It Pays to Increase Your Word Power” in Reader’s Digest and get them all right.
Mrs. Edwards. She was the science/Home-ec teacher/librarian. We moved to rural AR from Atlanta GA when I was twelve. She helped me fit and gave me someone to talk to.
I have a winner! Delores Feeken-Schmidt won the drawing. Also, Jenny McLeod Carlisle, Rita Jarrett, and Janet Estridge get to be beta readers. I appreciate Ada for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.